A Different Kind of Incursion
by SveaR
Summary: An incursion, no one expects, finds it's way into Jess' heart and brings her even closer to Becker than she has ever been. T-rated just to be on the safe side. And because I usually forget it in my A/N: here is my disclaimer: I don't own Primeval and the characters. Only Lotte is mine.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: It took me ages to write this story, but now it's finally done. **

**A huge Thank-you to Cehsja and DrawnToDarkness for your support through out the writing progress and for beta-reading the chapters. **

**I really hope you guys like it, as much as I liked writing it. Reviews are very welcome.**

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"Becker, the story isn't over yet!" Connor called after the soldier, who had emerged from the car before it came to a complete stop in the parking lot of the ARC, but Becker didn't react as the elevator doors closed behind him. Connor turned to Abby as she climbed out of the vehicle behind the boys and came to stand beside him.

"What?" the computer geek asked his smirking girlfriend.

"I doubt he was listening to you for the past five minutes." The three of them had returned from an anomaly site together. They had left Matt and Emily at another anomaly site three hours ago, when a second anomaly had appeared.

"And why would that be? My story was really cool!"

"Haven't you noticed?" Abby grinned at him.

"Noticed what?" By now Connor was really confused and the blonde animal expert couldn't hide her amusement any longer. She started walking towards the elevator as she began to talk about her and Emily's observation.

"Ever since the incident with the beetles, Becker always runs straight to the ADD after an alert."

Connor pressed the button for the elevator, "Sure, we have to return the black boxes to Jess when we get back from a mission."

"Connor! You can't be serious." Abby gently hit his arm, "Becker always runs very _quickly _to the ADD. Sure we have to return them, but that's not his reason. Rather, that behavior is caused by a small, young, brunette called Jess."

Connor suddenly became wide-eyed as it all made sense to him. He looked at his girlfriend, "Is that also the reason why you and Emily always find some excuse to delay a bit before _we _reach the hub?"

"Hey, you noticed!" Abby gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the lips, slightly surprised that it had occurred to him. "Yes. We thought that Jess and Becker just need some time alone and staying behind Becker was the easiest and most unsuspicious way to do it. We just hope that, with giving them more time together, one of them will finally come clean about their feelings."

"Does Matt know?" Connor wanted to know, hoping he was the first guy to find out.

"Not that I know. We could see if Emily and Matt have already returned from their mission and ask him. If not, we can bring him into the loop..."

"And give Jess and Becker some more time alone." Connor ended the sentence for Abby with a grin.

"You got it!" The blonde girl grabbed his hand and the two of them went to search for their friends.

Becker didn't notice that Abby and Connor hadn't followed him. Though he was aware that he seemed to be always alone on his way to the hub lately, he had never given it a second thought. He actually enjoyed these few minutes alone with Jess, just to check if she was alright of course.

Before the future beetles had attacked the ARC, the head of security had been sure that Jess was safe there. Now he was always relieved to find her sitting behind the ADD when he returned from the field.

Today he was maybe a little more worried about her than on other days. Because of the appearance of two anomalies close in time, the team had had to split up. And while Jess was connected with Matt and Emily, who had stayed at the first anomaly, Joe, the other field coordinator, had taken over coordinating the second mission.

The moment Becker entered the hub, he realized that Jess wasn't there. Sitting in her chair was Joe. Becker quickly closed the gap to the ADD and spun the chair, with his colleague still in it, around. "Where's Jess?"

"In the medical bay."

Becker's heart skipped a beat. Jess was in the medical unit? For a split second his walls tumbled down and concern was clearly written across Becker's face. But only a moment later, when Becker turned on his heels to get to the medical bay, he was wearing his unreadable expression again.

Matt, who had watched the scene from the other side of the room, headed after Becker. "Becker, there's something..." but the head of security didn't give Matt a chance to end his sentence, instead he waved his arm in the air, gesturing for his friend to stop talking.

"No! I have to get to the medical bay!"

With a smirk on his face, Matt stopped and watched as Becker rounded the corner at the end of the corridor.

On the way to the medical wing, Becker's thoughts went wild. Jess was injured; she was in the medical section, and he hadn't been there to protect her. Something, or someone, had caused her pain, he was sure of that. He had failed again to help a friend in need.

"Where's Jess?" Becker asked the first nurse he met when he entered the hospital wing of the ARC.

"Third room on the left." Mary, the nurse, answered and entered another room without giving Becker more information.

With large erratic steps, a racing heart, and the hope that she wasn't injured badly, Becker walked towards the door and opened it with dash.

What he saw there caught him off guard.

Jess was sitting in a chair beside one of the hospital beds; she was holding a girl's hand. Slowly the field coordinator turned around and flashed Becker a smile.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Jess spoke quietly, not wanting to wake up the girl beside her.

"Joe said you'd be in the hospital wing..." Becker trailed off. He pointed to the bed and asked, obviously confused, "Who's that?"

"That's the girl who came through the first anomaly today. You, Abby and Connor had left already."

Becker had walked towards the end of the bed and was studying the unknown girl. Her curly blonde hair looked tangled and she was so skinny as though she hadn't had a proper meal for a while. Becker didn't know what to say.

But Jess, being herself, kept talking, "We don't know her name yet. She did say something after she came through, but no one understood. Matt said it sounded like Dutch or Danish, but he isn't sure. She collapsed only moments after she stepped through. They brought her here so we can keep an eye on her. I'm here because the doctor said she might wake up at any moment. I thought it would be nice for her to have some company."

As Jess averted her gaze from the girl, the soldier felt stupid. He had been very worried about Jess for the past few minutes. It had even occurred to him to tell her how worried he'd been, but now there was no reason. Jess was fine. And before things could get awkward, Becker did what he did 'best' when it came to Jess. He fled the situation.

"Well...I think I should leave then. Don't want to scare her with too many people and I have..."

"Security stuff to do?" Jess interrupted his sentence with a small smirk as the soldier returned to the door.

"No." In search for an excuse, Becker stopped talking for a brief moment. "I have things to do," he ended his sentence and closed the door behind him.

"Things to do?" Jess looked after him with a small smile on her face. This man was unbelievable. Maybe she should really get her courage together to tell him what she felt for him. Ever since the beetle's attack, she had started to suspect strongly that he returned her feelings for him. And what Emily had told her from that day only endorsed the thought.

Jess shook her head and returned her gaze to the girl in front of her.


	2. Chapter 2

Jess had no time to think about Becker's behaviour any longer; the young girl in front of her began to stir. The field-coordinator reached for her hand again, stroking the back of it with her thumb while whispering soothing words. She couldn't say how long it took until the child opened her eyes.

Confused and disorientated, the blonde glanced around. Her gaze fell on Jess, who smiled at her reassuringly. The kid's eyes widened and she looked at Jess almost fearfully.

"Hi, I'm Jess, who are you?" She spoke slowly and kept her voice low, hoping not to scare the girl.

The child pursed her lips and hiked her shoulders. Jess thought for a second and let go of the girl's hand, before placing hers on her chest. "I'm Jess." She then pointed at the girl, "You?"

A shy smile appeared on the youngster's face, "Lotte."

The field-coordinator wondered how she should communicate with Lotte further. If she only knew where the girl came from… "We are in London. Where do you come from?"

Again the child shrugged, but she looked at Jess expectantly. The young woman stood up from the chair only to sit back down again on the edge of the bed.

"London, England, United Kingdom." Jess made an expansive movement with her hand above her head.

"Oh," Lotte's expression changed; she had understood. This time it was Lotte who placed her hand on her chest. "Come from Germany," she whispered with a thick accent.

"You speak English," Jess stated surprised.

"Bit?" Lotte answered, obviously wondering if she'd chosen the right word.

Jess was aware that the girl wouldn't understand what she had to say, but the field-coordinator didn't want to leave without a word.

"Look, Lotte, I'll go and get the doctor to look over you and someone who will be able to talk to you." She squeezed the child's hand comfortingly before she got up. Jess saw the fear in Lotte's eyes when she reached the door.

"I'll be back," she promised.

Before Jess began her search for Becker, the only person she knew who was able to speak German, the field-coordinator stopped by at Dr. Sullivan's office. She asked the medic to wait for their return until he examined the girl. Then she found Becker in the break room, talking to Matt about the new pub that had opened only a few streets down the road.

Jess smirked to herself, but swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. "Good, you are both here; Lotte woke up."

"Lotte?" Matt asked and stared at Jess confusedly.

"The girl that came through the anomaly, her name's Lotte and she's from Germany, at least if we understood each other correctly," Jess explained and approached the soldier. "Becker, could you come with me so you can translate. Doctor Sullivan wants to examine her and I assume Lotte would be pleased if she knew what was going on."

"You know German?" It was the first time Matt had heard of Becker's knowledge of any foreign languages.

Jess rose to speak before the Captain had a chance to answer. "Sure, Becker's family moved to Germany for three years, when he was ten years old. It's in his files."

"Mmh, must have missed that." Matt muttered to himself but still loud enough for Becker to get it.

Becker stared at his colleague, "You read my files too?"

"Sure," Matt shook his head, amused. "I'm the team-leader."

"Guys," Jess cut in, "Could we hold this conversation? Doctor Sullivan is waiting."

"So, talking about the new pub was the stuff you had to do?" Jess asked when she was walking with Becker to the hospital wing. She couldn't hide the amusement ringing through her voice.

For a moment the soldier was speechless as quickly he searched for an excuse. "No, but the stuff..."

"Was done." Jess chipped in.

"Exactly." Becker eyed the petite woman beside him and Jess met his eyes.

"That's what I thought."

As they continued their walk in silence, Becker wondered if Jess had seen past his walls, if she had any inkling about the feelings he had for her.

Forty-five minutes later Becker and Jess stepped into Lester's office where the rest of the team waited for the pair to learn more about Lotte.

Doctor Sullivan had left the three after the examination and Becker had taken the opportunity to debrief the young girl.

Becker searched for Jess' eyes as the chatter of the others slowly died down, but the field-coordinator didn't look up. Her gaze was fixed on a point on the floor.

Since they had left the hospital room, Jess hadn't said a word. Her face was pale and she was clearly shaken by the revelations. The soldier stepped closer towards her, hoping his vicinity would soothe her a little. He tried to keep his expression unemotional and his voice neutral when he began to speak. He didn't give the others a chance to ask questions during the narrative, he wanted to get it done quickly.

"Lotte is eight years old. She's from Germany. She told us that she went for a walk with her parents on a Sunday afternoon. In a remote forest an anomaly appeared in front of them. There was a creature incursion."

"From her description, I assume it was either a bunch of Velociraptors or Utahraptors. Lotte's parents shielded her from the creatures. Her dad was killed in the attack; her mum went through the anomaly with Lotte, hoping it would save their lives. Her mum died of an infection two weeks ago. Since then the girl has had to fend for herself.

"She isn't quite from our time; Lotte was born in 1977. They stepped through the anomaly in 1985. There aren't any relatives in her time, her parents' had no siblings and her grandparents are dead."

An eerie silence filled the room when Becker stopped, each team member trying to process what the girl had gone through. It was Matt who spoke up first.

"What did Dr. Sullivan say?"

"They will keep her for four or five days under observation. At the moment it seems she's only malnourished though."

"And what will happen to her after she's released?" Emily asked the question that was hanging in the air.

Again, silence spread over the office for several minutes, while the team individually thought about possibilities.

This time it was Lester who began to talk. "She has to go to a children's home."

"No!" Abby and Jess said in unison, horrified expressions on their faces.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reading my little story. Reviews are very welcome. And now have fun with the next chapter.

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"Lester," Abby started to pace through the room, "You can't send her into foster care. I've been there for too long, and it's awful. Lotte has been through enough; she should stay with someone who cares about her."

"And who would that be, Miss Maitland?" Lester's expression was stoic as always, but deep inside he was glad that Abby and Jess had objected to his suggestion.

"We have only five days to find a place for that girl." He saw the shimmer in Abby's eyes and when she was about to voice her idea, Lester cut in, "Don't even think about it. What am I supposed to tell my wife? That suddenly a homeless girl appeared in my office?"

"I don't know," frustration echoed in the blonde woman's voice.

"What about Jenny?" Connor asked. "She worked for the ARC and knows all about the anomalies and creatures. Lotte wouldn't have to hide anything. And Michael knows about the creatures as well.

The team agreed with their computer expert and Jess and Abby flashed him grateful smiles.

"I'm impressed, Temple." Lester picked up his phone and started to dial. When the team didn't leave the office, he gave them a pointed look, "Shoo shoo, I have important things to do."

The conversation with Jenny didn't go quite to his satisfaction, but it was all he could do for now.

It wasn't only the whereabouts for Lotte that Lester had to take care of. The fact that Lotte would stay in the UK meant she needed a birth certificate as well as an ID card so that the girl would be able to live a normal life without questions being asked.

He called the minister, informed him about the situation and pulled a few strings. After a bunch of phone calls, the ball was finally rolling and Lester allowed himself a gulp of his favourite whiskey.

There was no way he would ever admit it, but the child's story had stirred him up. He thought about his own daughters and hoped that they would never have to experience anything like that.

An hour later, Lester had called another meeting. Becker went in search for Jess to inform her about it. He had last seen her at the ADD, but now she was nowhere in the hub. Following his instincts, Becker walked for a third time that day to the medical section.

He entered Lotte's room and found Jess sitting on the girl's bed. Jess flashed him a bright smile and Lotte looked up, a shy grin on her lips. Both returned to the papers that were spread out between them. When the soldier stepped closer, he saw drawings with the correct English and German words under them. He smiled to himself when Jess tried to pronounce the German word for stars correctly.

"Jess, Lester wants to see us," Becker whispered.

Jess nodded and grabbed a dictionary that had been out of the soldier's sight before. She searched for the sentence she needed.

"Isch komm zuruck," Jess said slowly and Lotte began to giggle.

"Okay."

Becker placed his hand on the small of Jess back when they exited the room. "You like her a lot, don't you?"

"Yes. It's weird I know since I've only know her for a few hours, but what happened to her is so unbelievable. I wouldn't want anyone to have to experience such things, especially not a child. And look at her, she's absolutely adorable: those blue eyes, and her laughter. She laughed when I tried to talk some German. Can you believe it? After all she's gone through, that little girl is able to laugh heartily. She seems so happy to have people around her. Abby stopped by too and we taught her a bit more English. Lotte picked up the words right from the start. She's so clever."

"You're amazing," Becker complimented the young woman, who blushed at his words, but shook her head no.

"I'm not."

Becker dropped the subject until they reached Lester's office.

"You are," he said quietly before he opened the door, earning a gentle hit on his arm and a shy smile from the field-coordinator.

When the team was complete, the head of the ARC stood up and walked around his chair.

"Well, I talked to Mrs. Miller and she will think about taking in Lotte. But of course this will to be a choice made by her and her husband. Mrs. Miller promised to get back to me when they made their minds up. Though there is one problem; they leave on a three week holiday tomorrow. So, no decision is made yet and our problem isn't solved. Any suggestions?"

Lester stared at his employees, waiting for ideas.

Becker took the floor first. "She can't stay in one of the rooms like Emily did. The ARC is an inappropriate place for someone her age."

"She could stay with us, but we're still living out of our moving boxes." Abby mused out loud. She and Connor had moved into their own flat three weeks ago. Her words presented the answer for the young field-coordinator.

"She can stay with me." Jess drew all eyes on her with her answer. She looked from Abby to Lester and saw the stunned gaze Becker shot her in the corner of her eyes. Unfazed she continued. "Now that Abby and Connor moved out, there is plenty of room again."

"Miss Parker, are you sure? It's a kind offer, but you might like to take some time to consider your decision and let me know tomorrow." Lester stopped in his talking when he saw the expression in Jess' eyes.

"No, I'm sure of it, she can stay with me."

Becker stayed at the hub until the rest of them had returned to their own workstations.

"We should talk." Becker approached Jess and when she nodded her approval, Becker guided her to the side of the room.

"Do you think it's a good idea to let Lotte stay with you?" He addressed the topic of his concerns directly.

"Yes." Jess looked up at him with a serious expression, "I don't see a problem. It's nothing permanent."

"What if Jenny won't take her in? What if it stretches into a long-term arrangement?"

"Then the whole team will think about a solution, _all_ of us."

Jess studied the man in front of her intensely, not wanting to miss the finest sign of impulse on his face. She wondered and allowed herself to hope that there was more to this conversation. Carefully she chose her next words.

"But it would be okay to you, if Lotte stayed with Connor and Abby?"

"Yes," Becker answered without hesitation.

"Well, what's the difference?"

Becker was frustrated; he was genuinely worried about Jess. He didn't want her to get hurt or to get herself in a situation of which scale no one was aware of right at the moment. He was worried she would have to handle it alone, but he couldn't find the words to tell her that.

"There are two," he called on her common sense. "What if Lotte's suffering from nightmares? Or if she has other abnormalities in her behaviour? You will be alone with her."

Jess gave him an inquiring look, but remained silent for a while.

"You're worried about me," she eventually stated matter-of-factly.

"Of course I am, Jessica, it's my job."

Jess shook her head, a small smile on her lips, "No, it's not. Not like that."


	4. Chapter 4

Becker stared at Jess in discomfort, helplessly searching for words to deny her conjecture. But how could he? She was right. He _did_ care for her beyond the point of work.

"Thanks for worrying about me," Jess finally whispered, with a soft flush covering her cheeks, when the soldier kept quiet.

"Miss Parker, sorry to bother you, but Lotte is asking for you," the pair was interrupted by Dr. Sullivan before Becker was able to respond. "I think she's wondering what's going to happen to her."

"That's fine," Jess looked at the medic and then back to the soldier with a smirk. "We were about to go to her anyway."

"We?" The head of security asked, obviously puzzled.

"Sure, I need someone to translate." Jess flashed him a disarming smile, well aware that he wouldn't refuse her request.

Lotte greeted Jess with a happy smile, but an intimidated look flashed over her face when Becker entered the room after the field-coordinator. The child placed the dictionary she had been looking through aside and took a small piece of paper.

"What happen with me?" She read off the words she had looked up before. Expectantly, Lotte searched Jess' eyes, who looked from the girl to Becker.

The young field-coordinator, took a chair and pulled it closer to the bed before she sat down. The soldier sat down behind her on the edge of the hospital bed. He placed a hand on Jess' shoulder, signifying for the woman to be silent.

The soldier then began to tell Lotte what the team had decided for now. Fascinated she listened to Becker's words. She didn't understand any of it, but his tone was soft and reassuring.

Lotte seemed to have the same impression. She hung on his every word and when Jess heard her name, the young girl sighed, obviously relieved.

When the pair exited Lotte's room, Becker turned to Jess. "How about we have a coffee in that small café around the corner? We can catch up on our lunch break."

"Sure."

"There is something I wanna tell you," the captain answered the unvoiced question he saw in her eyes.

With a tray in his hands, Becker walked to the small table Jess had chosen. He sat down opposite from her and handed her the Latte macchiato.

After few moments in silence, he began to speak.

"When I was fourteen-years-old, my dad served in the Kosovo War. My younger sister was ten years old. Dad went missing in action for a time period of three and a half weeks. He had been kidnapped."

Jess listened to his words attentively. It was the first time that Becker had mentioned his family and the young woman wondered why he had decided that it was time to do so now.

"Of course we were all in distress. Luckily he was found and he was well enough to be flown out directly. But that is not the point, the point is that during that time, and the weeks after, my dad arrived home, my sister had nightmares. Pretty bad ones actually, she woke up every night screaming her lungs out. It was so bad that she often cried because she didn't want to go to sleep.

"It was a really exhausting time for my mum. It got better when my dad returned, but it was such a tense situation.

"Jess, my sister hadn't seen my dad in the war zone, and she still had nightmares. Lotte has seen both her parents die. That is something no child should witness and none of us has any idea how this experience has affected her.

"Yes, I am worried about you. I'm worried that you're taking on a responsibility that might be too much, not just for you but for whoever else will look after her. I don't want to scare you or make you doubt your decision. I actually admire you for it, but I want you to be aware of the possible side effects."

Jess looked at him with wide eyes, on one hand she was amazed by his openness, on the other hand his words scared her.

The young woman averted her eyes from the man in front of her and studied the milk froth. Suddenly her hands were captured by his.

"Jess, promise me that you'll give me a call when you need help or someone to talk to, no matter what time of the day it is, okay?"

The young woman nodded, but it wasn't enough for the soldier.

"Jessica, look at me and promise!"

With a diffident smile, the field-coordinator looked up. "Yes, I promise."

The following days found Jess often in the medical bay. She tried to spend as much time with Lotte as she could to get to know her and to work on the language barrier. Jess tried to push them to the back of her mind, but Becker's words had started her thinking. He was right after all; if there were any problems with Lotte, she was on her own now, even if he had offered to be there for her any time of the day.

The day of Lotte's discharge arrived and Becker kept an eye on the young field-coordinator. He had seen her sitting at the ADD absent-mindedly more than once during work hours and at lunch she hadn't taken part in the conversation.

When it was home-time, the soldier had made up his mind. He didn't want anyone to be alone in such a situation, especially not Jess. Pushing all his usual concerns away, he went to the hospital wing, knowing that it was time for her to pick up Lotte.

He found the young woman sitting on a chair in front of Dr. Sullivan's office, playing with her fingers.

"Hey," Jess greeted him, her voice cracking. "What are you doing here?"

Becker sat down beside her, "I'm off for today and I thought I'd give you two a lift home. I bet you have tons of groceries in your fridge; I could cook us dinner while you show Lotte around and I can help a little with the language."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I want to dedicate this chapter to SandyLeePotts, because if she hadn't asked me to write a story that would include the tale of Mother Hulda, this whole story wouldn't be more than a One-Shot. **

**Disclaimer: Mother Hulda isn't mine at all, it's written by the Brothers Grimm.**

Jess stepped out of Lotte's bed room and returned to the kitchen. The sight in front of her was surreal. Remaining silent, the woman watched as Becker washed up the dirty dishes from dinner.

It had been five days since Lotte had moved in with Jess, and those five days had been filled with breaking down the language barrier, getting to know each other and helping Lotte to settle into this new time. Jess took her on walks around the neighbourhood, played memory games and searched for language games on the internet. The child learned quickly and was able to communicate in simple sentences already. Each day had ended the same: with Becker joining them for dinner.

Jess hadn't asked him to come over, and the soldier hadn't done so either. He just appeared on her doorstep after he finished work as if it were the most natural thing.

The young field-coordinator had seen the joy in Lotte's eyes whenever Becker arrived. While the child had mainly talked German with the soldier during the first few days, she now tended to use English more and more often.

After the first evening with Lotte in her home, Jess hadn't expected Becker to turn up again. But of course she was pleasantly surprised when he did. On the third evening Jess had caught herself silently hoping that the Captain would come again. On day four she had checked her watch more than once as it got closer to Becker's finishing time, and today she wasn't able to suppress the happy squeak when Becker had sent her a text message in the early afternoon announcing that he'd pick up pizza for dinner.

Becker had never left right after dinner, he had always stayed another hour or two to listen to Jess' narrations of the day and the brunette was happy to talk to another adult. As much as she enjoyed having Lotte around, it was more exhausting than she had imagined it to be. Not physically, but mentally. Lotte was easily scared by loud sounds she couldn't place and often her mood changed within seconds. One minute she'd be chatting away happily and in the next, thick tears would be running down her cheeks.

Jess would never blame her, the child's reaction was understandable, but it took its toll on the field-coordinator. The time with Becker gave her the strength to face another day.

The soldier felt Jess' presence behind him, yet he wasn't able to face her just now. He needed to get something straight for himself.

Here he was standing in her kitchen, washing up, doing the kind of housework he usually procrastinated in his own four walls. He had come to her place every day after work instead of going straight home.

The soldier had tried to explain his behaviour with his job description, but knew well enough that he was only kidding himself. Jess knew it was beyond his duties and she had even told him so. Yet they had never finished that conversation after Dr. Sullivan's interruption: a fact that disappointed him. Still, he had never found the guts to bring it back up.

Becker knew it was time to stop deceiving himself. He liked Jess, really liked her, and he enjoyed her company.

The soldier stowed away the last of the dried plates, took out two wine glasses and filled them with the Merlot he had picked up on the way. With the glasses in hand, he turned around, catching her eyes. His eyebrow shot up, "I didn't know you loved to watch others do your work."

Jess knew by the tone that he was teasing, but couldn't help her cheeks burning up. What she could suppress though was her rambling. Instead, she took a step forward, taking a glass from him."Well, it's not every day that I have a man doing my chores."

"How was your day?" Becker asked as they settled down on the sofa together.

Jess pulled her feet up and turned to face the soldier. "So far so good. Lotte is really interested in learning English, but her mood can change from one second to the next." Shyly, Jess bit her lower lip averting her eyes from the man opposite from her. "I feel rather helpless in those moments."

Silence spread over the room while Jess recalled Lotte's latest break down. Mixed emotions rolled over Jess' face and Becker was taken aback when guilt settled on her features. Before he had the chance to bring himself to take her into his arms, the sound of small bare feet disturbed the quietness.

Quickly Jess pulled herself together and turned to face the child, who stood in the room almost lost. Lotte stared at the floor in front of her, whispering something in German that Jess wasn't able to understand.

A small smile spread over Lotte's face when Becker answered. With an expectant look in her eyes, Jess waited for Becker to translate when the child came over and cuddled in between the two adults.

"She can't fall asleep and asked if we could tell her a fairy tale."

"And?" Jess had seen an indecipherable shimmer in his eyes.

"She asked for a specific one. 'Mother Hulda', do you know it?"

Jess shook her head no and reached out for the blanket lying over the armchair behind her and spread it around the girl.

"It was written by the Grimm Brothers and from what I heard it's rather popular in Germany. One of my teachers read it to us before the winter holidays. Not sure if I remember all of it though."

"Well, you are about to find out," Jess stated matter of factly with a big smirk on her lips.

Taking a few more moments to recall as much as possible, Becker started eventually, much to Jess' disappointment in German.

"English, German I know." Lotte interrupted him after only a few words with a reproachful tone in her voice, which caused fits of giggles to escape Jess.

After shooting Jess a look that was supposed to be a scowl, Becker started again: in English.

"_Once upon a time there was a widow who had a beautiful, industrious stepdaughter, but her own daughter was ugly and lazy. The widow loved her daughter but treated her stepdaughter badly. _

_Every day the stepdaughter had to sit by a well and spin yarn. One day her fingers started to bleed, and the blood stained the bobbin. When she tried to clean the bobbin with the waters of the well, she accidentally dropped it into the well. _

_With tears in her eyes, she told her stepmother what had happened. The merciless widow commanded her to retrieve it._

_In an effort to obey this command, she jumped into the well. She lost consciousness. When she became aware of her surroundings, she found herself in a pleasant meadow._

_As she walked along a path, she encountered an oven in which bread was being baked. The bread asked the girl to take them out of the oven because they were done. The girl cheerfully complied._

_Then she encountered an apple tree. The tree told the girl that all its apples were ripe and asked the girl to shake it. She shook the tree till all the apples were laying on the ground. She gathered the apples in a heap and went her way._

_Then she came to a cottage. An old lady looked out the window. The girl was afraid because she had big teeth. However, she proved to be a kind hostess. Her name was Mother Hulda._

_She enjoyed the hospitality of Mother Hulda for many days. She cheerfully did all that Mother Hulda asked her to do. She daily shook up the bed of Mother Hulda, so that the feathers flew into the air and fell down like snow, just as her hostess had instructed her to do._

_Even though life was pleasant, the girl became homesick and wanted to return to her family. Mother Hulda was pleased when she learned about the wishes of the girl, and she promised to help her get home."_

_Jess was surprised by Becker's ability to tell a story. His voice was a little deeper compared to his normal talking tone and he stressed the sentences in all the right places. Within seconds into the story, the characters had come to life for Jess. The young woman closed her eyes and enjoyed the lulling effect his voice had on her._

"_Mother Hulda led her guest to a large gate. As she was standing under it, a shower of gold rained down upon her, and the gold clung to her. Mother Hulda explained that it was a reward for her diligence. She gave the girl her bobbin and shut the gate._

_Her home was not far away. As she approached the house, their rooster said, "Our golden maiden is here again. Because of the gold, she enjoyed a cordial reception when she came home._

_The widow wanted her own daughter to receive a similar blessing. So the ugly daughter took the spinning wheel to the well and pricked her finger on a thorny hedge so that she could make the bobbin bloody. Then she dropped the bobbin into the well and jumped in."_

_She found herself on the same meadow as her stepsister and walked along the same path. However, she refused to take the bread out of the oven, and she did not shake the apple tree. When she came to the cottage, she was not afraid of the large teeth of Mother Hulda because her stepsister had told her about them._

_The desire for gold made her work diligently the first day. However, as the days passed, she became more and more lazy, until she did not even want to get up in the morning. Finally Mother Hulda suggested that she return home. The lazy girl was happy and thought that now she would receive the gold._

_However, when she came to the spot where her stepsister had enjoyed a shower of gold, a kettle of pitch fell on her instead._

_The rooster greeted her with the words, "Our dirty maiden is here again."_

_The pitch clung to her for the rest of her life."_

Becker ended the tale and looked at the child and woman in front of him. Lotte met his gaze and shifted a little, only to throw her arms around him, catching him by surprise. Hugging the child back, his eyes wandered to Jess, who had her own closed. A tiny smile played on her lips and her hair framed her face. Becker couldn't help but think how beautiful Jess looked.

The moment was so unreal; here he was sitting on a sofa, with a child he barely knew in his arms and the woman, who waited for him to admit his feelings to her, opposite from him. He hadn't felt so content in a long time. The soldier rubbed his eyes, trying to ease the tension that had built up inside him.

"Come on Lotte, I think it's time for you to go to bed," the soldier whispered, relieved it would give him a bit time away from Jess.

Five minutes later he returned to the living room and was greeted by a thoughtful looking Jess.

"Are you okay?" Becker asked concerned as he sat down again.

For a moment Jess hesitated in answering, but she had to know. Suddenly the words came sputtering out.

"You come here every evening, help me cook, clean the dishes, you ask about my day, you tell a tale and you put Lotte to bed." The field-coordinator bit her lower lip nervously, her cheeks burning up. "You really do all that because it's your job?"


	6. Chapter 6

A heavy silence hung in the air, while Jess waited for Becker's answer.

The soldier studied her carefully. It was obvious that Jess tried to keep her expressions neutral, but hints of hope and fear shimmered in her eyes.

Becker knew that he had no chance to back out now. There was no loophole; no work he could use as an excuse. And honestly he didn't want to deny his feelings for her any more. Only he had never been good with words.

"No," he answered eventually, "But you've established that already, didn't you?"

Jess' eyes widened, "I did?"

"Sure, in the hospital wing. You said that I worry about you beyond the point of work."

"True." The sadness which was audible in her voice surprised herself. Sure she had hoped for another reaction, she hadn't expected him to tell her that he loved her, but she had wished that Becker would let his guard down a little bit more.

While Becker searched for the right words, Jess suddenly straightened up. She pushed the disappointment away and slapped on a smile.

"I think it's time for you to go. I don't want to get rid of you, but I should go to bed." Jess said as happily as she could manage. "I promised Lotte to take her to the Thorpe Park tomorrow and I should get some sleep."

"No," the word came out harsher than Becker had expected and his tone caused Jess to stare at him in bewilderment.

It had been her reaction only seconds before Jess had put on a happy face that made Becker realize just how important it was to open up a little. By instinct, Jess had folded her arms in front of her body, hugging herself in comfort. And the moment when she had swallowed the lump in her throat didn't go unnoticed by the soldier either.

He hated it when Jess was hurt, and the idea that it was him who caused it did not sit well with him. And suddenly the words were there.

"Jess, yes I am worried about you, because I care for you. I enjoy your company, on and off shift. I didn't plan on coming here every day, it just happened, and I'm glad it did."

Becker took her hands in his, caressing the back with his thumbs. A soft pink coloured Jess' cheeks.

"I really like cooking for you, enjoy dinner with you and to hearing about your day. Jessica, I like spending time with you."

Jess was left speechless when Becker finished his little monologue. The soldier's words had surprised her and the intense look in his eyes had touched her deeply.

After a few more moments in silence, Becker spoke again.

"Tomorrow is my day off, and if it's okay, I would love to join your trip to the Thorpe Park."

"I guess Lotte would love that." The young woman replied with a twinkle in her eyes.

"I hope not only her."

Jess' beaming smile was answer enough.

Lotte had been thrilled when Jess told her that Becker would be joining them for their trip. Now the two stood at the roadside waiting for the soldier to pick them up.

While the little girl was chatting away excitedly, asking over and over again which attractions they would go on, Jess fought against the nervousness she had felt all morning.

But the amount of butterflies in her stomach increased when she saw the soldier's car turning around the corner. They hadn't talked much more the night prior, Becker had left shortly after his little speech and Jess hadn't been able to bring herself to ask if it meant they had a chance as a couple.

She watched as Becker pulled over and wondered what the day would bring.

Lotte jumped into the car the moment it came to a full stop. She fastened her seatbelt as quickly as possible and started to fire questions at Becker about the park, before Jess even had the chance to open the passenger door. When she met the captain's eyes she felt her cheeks burning up.

Without comment, Becker let the moment slide and started the engine again. He had made a promise to himself on the way to pick them up. He would let his behaviour and words speak the same language, too many times he had sent mixed signals towards Jess.

So when the car weaved with the traffic, he reached for Jess' hand and squeezed it reassuringly and the nervousness she had felt eased.

A little over an hour later, the three entered the park. With a naturalness that Becker and Jess hadn't expected, Lotte took their hands and started to swing them around, smiling from ear to ear as she did so.

Their first stop was at the Depth Charge, a four lane slide. Lotte's eyes grew wide as she stood beside the slide, before she tightened her grip on Becker's and Jess' hands and pulled them towards the entrance.

"Can we have a race?" the child looked pleadingly at the grown-ups as she walked up the stairs.

"Sure, how about you and me against Becker?" Jess offered with a wink towards Lotte.

Not giving Becker a chance to object, Lotte had let go of his hand and increased her speed, pulling Jess with her. The woman looked back at the soldier and apologetically shrugged her shoulders. Shaking his head in amusement, Becker followed them seconds later.

He had let them win on purpose, Jess was sure as she watched Becker head towards them. Bowing a little, he congratulated Lotte for winning the race. Jess waited until Lotte skipped about a little away from them, already on her way to the next attraction, before she turned to Becker.

"Why did you let us win?" Jess asked with a scowl.

For a moment Becker was confused at her expression. But when the corner of Jess' lips began to twitch he knew she was teasing him.

Flashing her his charming smile, the Captain answered. "Because of Lotte." He then closed the gap between them a little and lowered his voice. "If it would have been only you and me, I would have beat you."

Before Jess could recover from the sudden closeness, Becker grabbed her hand. "We should get going or Lotte will go on the next ride alone."

Lotte dragged them onto the Flying Fish three times in a row and Jess was pleasantly surprised when Becker took her hand whenever they walked around.

The Swarm had caught Becker's interest and when Jess and Lotte assured they wouldn't mind him going alone, he took the chance. The two waited for him, enjoying some ice cream in the meantime.

After lunch they took it slower with a ride on the nostalgic Chief Ranger's Carousel and went onto

the water rides as the day came to an end.

They called it a day after one last ride on the Flying Fish.

With a giggling Lotte between them, Jess and Becker exited the roller-coaster. The young girl stopped at the photo desk to check on the picture that had been taken during the ride.

"That's great. Can we please get one?" Lotte pleaded the moment she had laid eyes on the screen where the photo was shown.

Until now, the ARC members hadn't been willing to spend money on the pictures taken. One of them had always been caught with a strange expression on their features.

Before Jess had time to take a closer look at the photo herself, her mobile went off. After a quick glance at the display, she excused herself, leaving Becker to deal with Lotte's wish alone.

Becker stepped closer to the counter, agreeing with the girl beside him. The photo had captured a moment when Lotte had been screaming in delight, while Becker and Jess looked at each other, over the child's head, with broad smiles on their faces.

Becker loved the photo on first sight and without giving it a second thought he bought a copy each for Lotte and Jess and a key ring for himself, which he added to his car keys directly. With a serious look, he turned to the blonde curly headed girl beside him.

"Lotte, don't tell Jess about her copy okay, I want to surprise her."

"I promise!" Lotte answered, mimicking his earnest tone while offering the captain her hand to seal their secret with a shake.

Together they walked over to Jess who had just said her goodbyes to the person on the other line.

"That was Lester," the young woman announced when Lotte was skipping about ahead of them and out of earshot. "Jenny called him a few minutes ago. She and Michael will take Lotte in."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This chapter was acutally a missing scene that I wrote after I finished the whole story. But I quite like it so I thought I just go ahead and post it with the rest of the story. Hope you all like that little scene.

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"Can I borrow one of your cars?" Abby burst into the armory where Becker and Matt were checking on the latest delivery of EMDs. "Connor brought ours to the workshop to get it serviced. Duncan as supposed to pick him up, but he didn't show up." **  
**

"Sorry, Emily and I walked today," Matt answered.

"You can take mine," Becker said, already fishing for the keys. He held them securely in his hand and waited for Abby to meet his gaze, "But I need my car back here by 5:30pm at the latest. Understood?"

"Easy, it's only noon, Becker. Even with a traffic jam it's not likely to take me more than an hour and a half to pick Connor up and drop him off at home."

The soldier rolled his eyes at Abby's teasing sarcasm and threw his car keys to the blonde. Abby caught the keys without problem and her gaze fell on the small photo that was added as a key chain straight away. Turning around and quickly walking away, Abby took more careful look at the tag.

A knowing smile formed on her features as she glanced at Becker and Jess smiling brightly at each other, with a happy Lotte in their middle.

She didn't have time now, she needed to pick Connor up, but she knew that her opportunity would come to have a serious chat with the soldier and that she could use this little photo to tease Becker a bit, and hopefully shoving him into the right direction – toward Jess.

Two days later Abby's opportunity was there.

The blonde walked into the break room and found Becker sitting on one of the couches, eating a sandwich. Abby flopped down opposite from him and eyed the Captain expectantly, but she remained silent.

Feeling her eyes on him, Becker tried not to be deterred by her stare. To him it was obvious that she wanted to provoke a reaction, but just yet he wasn't willing to give her this satisfaction.

The minutes past by and no word was spoken. Abby continued her staring and Becker finished first his sandwich and moved on to an apple.

It wasn't until the last bite was swallowed that Becker gave in and met Abby's gaze. His right eyebrow raised he gave her his best stoic expression.

"Anything I can help you with, Abigail?" The soldier emphasized the woman's name slowly.

Abby held his stare for a few more moments before she finally began to speak.

"I've seen the photo."

Becker's expression faltered and a confused look spread over his face.

"What photo?"

"The photo, that was taken in Thorpe Park." Abby paused to let her words sink in, but not long enough to give Becker enough time to say something.

"Becker, just listen to me once. This picture was taken in the best moment possible. Even you must admit that you looked completely happy and relaxed when it was taken and I assume that has to do with Jess. And you have even attached the photo to your car keys - an item you use daily. I talked to Jess yesterday and I know you visit her and Lotte every evening after work."

When Becker made an attempt to say something, Abby moved her hands up gesturing for him to be silent.

"Really Becker, don't you think it's time to stop pretending you don't care more about her than you do about the rest of us." Not giving the soldier a chance to comment on her little speech, Abby got up and left the break room.

When the door clicked shut behind her, Abby pulled out her mobile. She had no idea if her little monolog had an affect on the captain, so she would give it another shove. "Jess, seen the key chain Becker has on his car keys? Abs"

In the meantime, in the break room, Becker took a deep breath and leaned against the backrest. "Yes, it's time," He muttered under his breath.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is the final chapter of my little story. Thank you all for reading, following and reviewing my story.**

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Seven days had past since Jess had spent the day with Becker and Lotte in the Thorpe Park. Seven days, since Lester had called, telling her that Jenny and Michael have decided that they would take in Lotte. Seven days since Becker had told Lotte about the next change in the young girl's life.

Today was the day that Lotte would move in with the married couple. The numb feeling Jess had felt in the pit of her stomach since the moment she woke up grew with every step that brought her closer to Lotte's new home. It wasn't only the idea that Lotte wouldn't be around anymore that didn't sit well with her, but also the nagging thought that it was mostly likely, that Becker would distance himself after tonight.

And while Jess and Becker followed Lotte, who skipped ahead towards the Miller's house, the field-coordinator took a deep breath. An action she wasn't aware of until Becker reached for her hand to give it a gentle comforting squeeze.

Thankfully she gave him a small smile that, to Becker's concerns, didn't reach her eyes.

Becker studied her from the side as they turned from the pavement into the front yard.

He knew that Jess had grown fond of the German girl and was now torn about the fact that Lotte would move in with Jenny and Michael. He knew the field-coordinator had the feeling she as letting the child down.

Becker had tried to convince her that this wasn't the fact, that Lotte didn't think so and that she was still able to visit Lotte whenever she wanted.

Four evenings ago, Jenny and Michael had invited the three for dinner, to get to know Lotte a little. The first meeting went surprisingly well and after the first half hour Lotte relaxed in the new surrounding and began to chat away with Jenny and Michael.

The five of them had met every day after the first dinner together, to give Lotte more chances to get to know the Miller's better.

And more than once Jenny had assured Jess that she was welcome to visit Lotte anytime.

"I'm right here for you." Becker said quietly as the pair joined Lotte on the doorsteps. The curly blonde had already rang the bell and waited excitedly for someone to open.

The door swung open, before Jess or Becker could say anything more. Jenny appeared in the door frame and Lotte greeted her with a small embrace before she moved into the house to wrap her arms around Michael, who stood in the hallway.

Jenny greeted Jess and Becker with embraces and smirked knowingly at the soldier when the two entered the house and Becker took Jess' hand again.

"Jess, come I want to show you my new room." Lotte piped up already halfway up the stairs. Rather reluctantly Becker let go of her hand once more and followed Jenny into the kitchen.

Without mincing matters Jenny turned to to Becker, "You really should tell Jess what she means to you. And I mean straight forward, not in a 'keeping-a-loophole-open'."

Surprised by his former colleague's words the captain remained silent.

By the time Jenny had prepared the tea, her words had sunk in.

"I know." Becker stated when he took the mug Jenny offered him.

"It's lovely," Jess told the young girl earnestly as she circled the room slowly, taking in the details of where the child was now going to grow up.

"Wanna see the best part?!" Lotte grinned, clearly excited.

Jess nodded, trying to appear as excited as the girl.

The girl reached out for a knob on the wall and slid open a section of it, revealing a large white board with markers for her to draw on it.

Jess smiled and picked one up, "C'mon," she said to the girl, "Let's draw a picture."

"You two were a long time," Becker commented as Jess and Lotte rejoined the others in the kitchen.

"We were drawing a picture!" Lotte grinned at him. "We drew an ocean with a whole bunch of fish in it!"

"That sounds wonderful!" Jenny said enthusiastically as she placed a steaming plate on the table. "And dinner is served."

Jess tried her best not to show her disappointment when Lotte quickly seated herself beside Michael and insisted that Jenny sat on her other side. She was glad the girl was excited and happy to be with them, but she'd rather hoped she'd want to sit beside her tonight for their last day.

Despite her efforts, Becker noticed and sat beside her quickly, reaching under the table for Jess' hand and giving it a quick squeeze. "It'd be harder if she didn't want to stay here," he whispered to her before letting go and turning to his meal.

Three hours and another dinner together, Jess and Becker left Lotte, Jenny and Michael.

On the short walk to the car, Jess remembered the text message Abby sent her a few days ago.

"Becker can I see your car keys?" Jess asked curiously.

"Why?"

A soft red colored Jess cheeks immediately, "Abby mentioned something about your special key chain." Her voice cracking slightly.

"Yep, I should have guessed that." Becker said more to himself than to the petite brunette beside him. He wrapped his arm around the young woman's shoulders. "I'll show you, but before I do that, you have to wait until we are in the car. There is something waiting for you in the glove-box."

When they got to the car, Becker opened the passenger door for Jess, carefully hiding his keys in the process.

"Open up." He said when Jess looked at him expectantly, obviously waiting for permission.

Jess opened the box as she was told and pulled out a silver photo frame. Speechless she starred at the photo. It was one of her, Becker and Lotte - she saw herself looking at Becker over Lotte's head. All three of them smiling brightly.

"It was taken on our last ride on the Flying Fish," Becker explained. "You didn't see it because of Lester's phone call. Lotte begged for a copy and I thought you'd like to have one too. So I got both of you a copy. And me a key ring." He held up his car keys and chuckled a little.

With tears in her eyes Jess swung her arms around Becker's neck in a hug. "Thank you. It's beautiful."

The car drive back to Jess' flat past in complete silent, both ARC employes dwelled on their own thoughts.

When Becker stopped in front of Jess' house, but the young woman hesitated to get out. The idea of returning to an empty flat, without Lotte and Becker there to keep her company, made her sad.

"You're okay?" Becker's voice quietly cut through the silence that had settled over the car. The soldier shifted slightly in his driver's seat so that he was facing Jess. The young woman met his gaze.

"I don't know." Jess answered truthfully. "It will be really quiet here without Lotte. She has only been here for a couple of weeks, but I've grown so used to have her around."

'And you.' Jess added in her mind. "I know I can visit her whenever I want but it's not the same."

Jess stopped talking, she had no idea how to express her feelings. It wasn't alone the idea of not having Lotte around anymore that caused the acrimonious feeling in her stomach.

Jess was sure that Becker would now bring distance between them again. That in a week's time those past few days were just a dream, leaving them as co-workers only.

Becker watched the young woman closely, a sad expression clouding her features and when the sigh escaped her, the Captain knew it was time to act.

He reached for Jess hands that were lying in her lap, he began to stroke the back of her hands with his thumbs as he started to speak.

"Jess, you can visit Lotte anytime. She can spend the weekends here if you want her to. Jenny and Michael won't mind; you know that. They have told you so, more than once."

"As for the unspoken worries that include me," Jess stiffened at his words and the soldier tightened his grip on her hands for a second.

"Jessica really, those thoughts were plain to see." Jess didn't dare to look at him, but heard the smirk in his voice. Her cheeks heated up and she ducked her head in hope he wouldn't see the color on her face.

Becker grinned to himself and brought her right hand to his lips and placed a small kiss her fingers. "I meant what I said the other day. I really enjoy spending time with you on and even more off work. And I try my best to ignore the emotional-retard part of me, okay?"

His words caused Jess to chuckle and she looked at him for a short moment.

"But what if you change your mind. Monday at work?" Jess' voice was only a whisper, yet Becker had understood her too well. He didn't blame her much too often in the past he had messed with her mind.

Becker took a deep breath, the confession he had to make scared him in a way he had never experienced before.

"I won't. I promise. I want you in my life, not only as a colleague."

Becker placed a hand under Jess' chin turning her head gently so she was facing him. He waited until she met his gaze.

"Jessica, would you like to go out on a date?"

Tears filled Jess eyes but the beaming smile on her face indicated them to be happy ones.

"On a real date? For dinner?"

"Yes a real one," Becker smiled at the woman in front of him and leaned in closer, so his cheek was touching hers, his lips brushing her ear "with a good-night-kiss."


End file.
